.38 Special +P

[Tonyyniceguyy]

My wife's a traveling nurse who does travel alone, stays in hotels, in multiple states often at night, and all the nurses carry. I bought her a SW 642 Airweight as the most practical for her needs, I put a Hogue grip on it. My question is about ammo, not that there's much around but .38 specials are about impossible to come by locally. But I did find that Midway had some 110 gr + P Hornady Critical Defense in stock, it was the only ammo they did have in stock. My question concerns recoil and shoot ability in such a lightweight pistol, I'm not really concerned about the terminal ballistics, not that I had a choice here, but she's certainly not an experienced shooter. Frustrating that the stores are mostly empty.

Thanks, Tony

 

[torizus]

Good choice, the Hornady CD is exactly what wife and daughters carry in that model. Same in the Ruger LCPs.

It will definitely get the job done and is popular with those of a slighter stature.

 

[ContinentalOp]

The only way to find out is for her to shoot it.

While it wouldn't be my first choice in a defensive round (I prefer heavier bullets), if that's what you can find then it'll do, if she can put rounds on target.

You may want to try looking for some 148gr wadcutters. Low recoil, but has the potential to cut a full-caliber wound channel with adequate penetration. I keep some on hand even though I use JHP +P. She can use the JHP as reloads since their rounded profile is better suited for reloading than WC.

Just my opinion.

 

[GF]

It'll be snappy to shoot that's for sure.
I have several Airweight J frames and none are really fun to shoot many rounds at a time.
Grips that she can hold onto is a must and she should shoot a few rounds through it before carrying.

She has a reliable pistol and good ammo.
Shoot a few of those high dollar rounds and make sure she keeps it handy at all times.
She'll be fine!

 

[505Gibbs]

If her situation puts her in harms way I doubt that getting off one or two will really bother her.
Taking her out for casual shooting with this revolver and load might put her off about using the gun - IMO.

 

[gwpercle]

Should be "Just What the Doctor Ordered"

Sorry about that but the cabin fever is back...makes you do poor puns!

148 grain HBWC Target ammo isn't bad to shoot from the Airweights...have her shoot a few of them first .
My airweight stays loaded with the 148 gr. HBWC loads , I can hit with them and they are accurate .
Gary

 

[smithra_66]

My wife's a traveling nurse who does travel alone, stays in hotels, in multiple states often at night, and all the nurses carry. I bought her a SW 642 Airweight as the most practical for her needs, I put a Hogue grip on it. My question is about ammo, not that there's much around but .38 specials are about impossible to come by locally. But I did find that Midway had some 110 gr + P Hornady Critical Defense in stock, it was the only ammo they did have in stock. My question concerns recoil and shoot ability in such a lightweight pistol, I'm not really concerned about the terminal ballistics, not that I had a choice here, but she's certainly not an experienced shooter. Frustrating that the stores are mostly empty.

Thanks, Tony

Without a doubt, get her to a range.

I bought my wife an airweight one time....it turned out to be a mistake for her.

1. She didn't have the finger strength to pull the DA trigger without a lot of movement in the gun. Neither of us expected that.

2. +p 38s were way too much recoil. I can't imagine 357s in it.

long story short: we scrapped the J-frame idea and got her a Glock 26. Much better all around.

The time to figure out these issues is at a range, not when a coked up perp is after her.

 

[robertrwalsh]

Many moons ago, when the CHP still carried revolvers, they did all their practice shooting with .38 specials but carried full power .357 rounds in their weapons on duty. A new female officer was involved in a shooting in her first month on the street. She fired one round and dropped her weapon, believing it had "exploded" when she fired it. She had never fired full power ammunition in the gun. Ever. You can't depend on adrenaline to do the job for you. It will be hard with the current ammo market situation but she really needs some range time, at least a little bit of it with her serious carry ammo. (Maybe Federal HST, or even a good mid-range wadcutter. Both will be hard to find right now.)

 

[ddixie884]

That ammo beats no ammo. The 110s should have less recoil than heavier weight bullet +P rnds. Yes, practice is essential.........

 

[Jack Flash]

I second the advice about using 148 grain WadCutters as others have mentioned, but if they are impossible to find right now, she will have to use what she has.

 

[Marshal Tom]

I teach and have taught many ladies. Also do basic pistol, CCW classes on a fairly regular basis I also teach what I call Gunknowledgy. I do not think that snubbers in general and air weights in particular are a good choice for a beginning shooter. Light weight, short sight radius, heavy recoil and often heavy triggers all contribute to difficulty of mastering these otherwise fine little weapons. I also do not recommend little mouse guns, small .22, .32 and even many of the small .380's so popular today. Many of the small semi autos have difficult to operate controls, poor triggers with slides that are difficult to retract because of the minimal real-estate to hold on to. If that is going to be her choice, have her practice, practice, practice until she is not just familiar with it but proficient. Sorry for the rant!

 

[Nevada Ed]

On Lucky Gunner, the Winchester 148 target WC out of a 2" 38 did 703-710 fps (?) and penetrated the gel 16-18".

The Hornady 110 passed the test also............

Both will stop the BG if placed well.

As mentioned, let her shoot them and see which one she prefers or what
ammo is available to her............
but she does need to shoot it to learn the recoil and POA.

 

[somorris]

I have shot quite a few +P rounds through a 642. Contrary to the general consensus, I didn't find the recoil to be a big deal. But then again, I am not a female and have shot revolvers for a good while. You could start your wife off without +P ammo if you can find it. I think she (and you) made a good choice. Good luck to you both. She has a difficult and possibly dangerous job. Stay safe!

 

[ddixie884]

If there is a shortage, I believe I would buy at least 2 boxes and let her shoot 1 to 1 1/2 boxes not necessarily at one time and load with the load and arrange to have at least one reload in reserve and fire a cylinder full once in a while. This would require a re-supply at a later date but over time she would get a degree of confidence and skill. I try to see that my daughters get a little practice, along........

 

[Rudi]

As stated earlier, if she needs to use it I doubt she will even notice.

 

[BC38]

You've been given good advice so far.
There are some who will say get her a BB gun and let her practice with that. Don't believe it.
There is no substitute for real range time with real ammo.
If the 110gr +P is what you can get, get two or three boxes worth and let her shoot three or four cylinders worth at a time, more than one time. Make sure she gets comfortable with it, and she'll have the confidence and experience she needs.

 

[geekeye]

110 grain 38s in an airweight can feel a little sharp, like hitting your palm with a ruler, but the good news is they don't try to twist the gun out of your hand like a 158 gain 357 does. she really shouldn't have an issue with the recoil as long as she uses a good, high grip.


i would advise she does lots of dry fire practice though to toughen up her trigger finger and work in the action, and if it seems too stiff for her, look into lighter springs.